2007 Accra Declaration on Road Safety in Africa

Ministerial Round Table was held at the African Road Safety Conference Accra, Ghana and accepted this Declaration on the 8th of February 2007.

THE DECLARATION

We the Ministers responsible for Transport and Health, meeting at the African Road Safety Conference in Accra, Ghana on 8th of February 2007 on the importance of road safety;

Reaffirming the declaration by the African Ministers responsible for Transport and Infrastructure adopted in Addis Ababa, in April 2005, on the importance of the role of transport in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);

Cognizant of the high rate of road accidents and their adverse social and economic impact on the continent; Recalling UN resolution A/58/289, which endorsed the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention;

Further Recalling UN resolution A/60/5, which recognizes the need for continuous awareness-raising and invites the UN Regional Commissions and the World Health Organization to jointly organize the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week;

Encouraging the member States to use the WHO/World Bank World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention as a framework for road safety and implement its recommendations to substantially reduce the causes and risk factors associated with road accidents, namely the non-use of safety belts and child restraints; driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs; the non-use of helmets; inappropriate and excessive speed; the lack of safe infrastructure; the use of mobile phones among others;

Recognizing the importance and the role of global partners, including the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, UN Road Safety Collaboration, Department for International Development (DFID), Government of Netherlands, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the FIA Foundation, and Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP),in advancing the global road safety agenda;

Noting the deteriorating condition of the quality of transport infrastructure and the need for sustainable management and financing to support road maintenance;

Welcomes the report of the Commission for Global Road Safety and endorses its principal recommendations for a $300 million ten year global road safety action plan, the commitment of 10% of all road sector projects to road safety initiatives including rating assessment, design and systems management and to hold a global United Nations ministerial meeting on road safety in 2009;

Further Welcomes the commitment made at the Gleneagles summit of the G8 Group of leading industrialised countries to substantially increase investment in Africa’s infrastructure and to establish the Africa Infrastructure Consortium;

Calls upon the G8-Summit, in Heligendamm, Germany, in June 2007, to: recognize the urgent need to improve road safety in Africa, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa; systematically include road safety in the work of the Africa Infrastructure Consortium; the Sub Saharan Africa Transport Policy Programme; and in the development assistance programmes of the G8 nations to ensure that new and improved roads in Africa do not increase road traffic death and injuries;

Convinced of the need for good transport polices in preventing road deaths and injuries on the continent; creating socio-economic opportunities and, hence, contributing significantly to poverty reduction;

Aware of the importance of international treaties and conventions related to road safety of which few African countries are signatories;

Further calls upon African Union Commission to present this Declaration and attached recommendations from the African Road Safety Conference, held in Accra, Ghana, from 5-7 February 2007, to the next meeting of African Ministers responsible for Transport and that of Ministers of Health for consideration as a basis for the formulation of an action programme by Member States and regional economic communities;

Committed to improving transport infrastructure and health services in Africa so as to prevent road accidents;

HEREBY RESOLVE to undertake the following:

1. Work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on our roads.

2. Promote road safety as a health, transportation, law enforcement, education, and development priority for our nations.

3. Set and achieve measurable national targets for road safety and traffic-injury prevention in all Member States to contribute to the achievement of Africa’s overall targets to reduce accidents fatalities by half by 2015. In this regard, Member States should designate a lead agency, with legal backing and adequate and sustainable financial resources, to ensure the achievement of the targets.

4. Take necessary steps to source sustainable funding for development and management of transport infrastructure and services and work with multilateral and bilateral donors to develop road safety projects and programmes to build national road safety management capacity.

5. Strengthen pre-hospital and emergency services in order to provide timely and appropriate care to road traffic-injured patients to minimize their effects and long-term disability.

6. Mainstream road safety into new and existing road infrastructure development programmes. In this regard, convince governments to devote a percentage of their investment in infrastructure development to road safety programmes.

7. Improve the collection, management and use of data on road deaths and injuries so as to formulate evidence-based policies. In this regard, efforts would be made to address the non-reporting of accidents, and to harmonise data that originate from different sources.

8. Ensure the enactment and enforcement of laws associated with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs; inappropriate and excessive speeding; non-use of helmets; driver licensing; road-worthy vehicles; and the use of mobile phones.

9. Implement specific education programmes among drivers with regard to safe driving, particularly with issues associated with speed. In this regard, promote road safety initiatives at the local, municipal and national levels, for children and other road users.

10. Urge African countries to pay special attention to rural transport. In this regard, ensure that adequate resources are provided for studies on rural dimensions of road safety and the implementation of their outcome.

11. Encourage African countries to ratify and adhere to international treaties and conventions such as the Vienna Conventions on road traffic and road signs and signals.